2023-04-21 07:34:07
The people in the Edmonton arena screamed even though their Oilers hadn’t scored. That would not happen until a minute later, when Leon Draisaitl hammered in a pass from Connor McDavid. Now Canadians don’t have a reputation for being blessed with prophetic gifts, but they didn’t need them now: People cheered because a penalty time was served against the Los Angeles Kings – and the Oilers had their best power play since 46 this season have years. And a penalty time for the opponents in Edmonton also means: Draisaitl and McDavid, the two best attackers in the North American ice hockey league NHL, will be on the ice together, which in turn means a guarantee for goals.
It was 2-0 in the second game of the first round of the playoffs between Oilers and Kings; but Draisaitl was not at all satisfied after this goal (he had prepared the first one). Almost angry, he drove to the bank and warned his colleagues not to let up against the Kings, who are probably the most uncomfortable opponents in the NHL at the moment. The Oilers had also led 2-0 in the first game – and they lost 3-4 after overtime. “You have to be smarter and more mature,” Draisaitl grumbled afterwards.
A 2-0 deficit in that best-of-seven series, against these Kings, two games away in Los Angeles would have been devastating for the Oilers, who finally came out this season after a 33-year losing streak and in their eighth year of the Era McDavid/Draisaitl who want to win the Stanley Cup.
It happened what Draisaitl had warned against: As in the first game, the Kings equalized, seemingly somehow and out of nowhere – but this time the Oilers pulled themselves together and won 4-2 with two goals in the final third; Draisaitl prepared the last one again. “We stayed calm this time, as our leaders demanded,” said attacker Zach Hyman after the game. “The message: always stay confident because that can always happen against them.”
The Edmonton-Los Angeles rivalry dates back 35 years to when Wayne Gretzky left the Oilers for the Kings
The Kings have been as popular as athlete’s foot in Edmonton since they lured the legendary Wayne Gretzky to LA in 1988. The Oilers won the Stanley Cup for the last time two years later, their great era with five titles in seven years was over, and Gretzky himself says in the documentary “King’s Ransom” that there would have been many, many, many more titles if he were remained. The Kings are currently unpopular in Edmonton because their style of play is just so annoying.
For the entire season, the team of former Oilers coach Todd McLellan acts like someone who wants to start a fight in a bar – and at the beginning of the fight sneaks unnoticed behind the bar and enjoys free beer there. Current example: the first game. The Oilers dominated, the Kings shoving here and teasing there, scoring three in the final period including the poked equalizer 17 seconds from the end. In overtime they provoked a penalty from the Oilers, and they used it coldly with a nice direct pass combination behind the goal. Even more recent example: the second game, when the Kings created a rush in the second third and muddled two goals into the Oilers goal. It seems random. But anyone who watches the Kings’ training from time to time knows that that’s exactly how they plan it.
“You have to be patient against the Kings,” said Draisaitl to the SZ before the start of the series: “They are defensive, but still score a lot of goals – that’s what makes them so dangerous. You mustn’t fall into this trap of wanting too much right away and to rush when there’s no goal for a long time. And you have to be wide awake against them for 60 minutes and never let up.” That’s why it was so important for him to admonish his colleagues during the second game.
It’s amazing that Draisaitl is the spokesman on the Oilers bench right now and not McDavid. On the other hand, Draisaitl has already scored three goals and provided two assists in these two playoff games. He only needed 38 games for the 61 playoff scorer points of his career – only Gretzky (26) and Mario Lemieux (34), two pillars of the league, were faster in NHL history.
“We are very close friends, we like to play together,” says Draisaitl about the relationship with McDavid – and emphasizes that both of them are not by nature the big spokesmen, but rather Tatleaders are: “We prefer to lead by example, whether it’s in training, in the dressing room or at games.”
So: If the two best ice hockey players in the world are not too good to tussle with the Kings, if they hit each other and still score in crucial moments: Who would dare not to join? And, of course, when someone like Draisaitl opens his mouth after all, with a 2-0 lead – which teammate would get sloppy? Like the guy in the bar who saves his buddies from doing something stupid – because they know their boss will bail them out in an emergency, but the best way they can help him is by not being stupid.
The Oilers have two of these guys, and just this much: McDavid has yet to score in this best-of-seven series. Three games in a row without a goal, that doesn’t happen often with him; just four times in more than 80 games this season. Statistically speaking, the fans in Edmonton can celebrate: it won’t be long before the next goal is scored.
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